Get Involved

The investment community is increasingly using the Benchmark in its research, decision-making and engagement with companies. Indeed, many of the investors that we have spoken with have indicated that they expect to pay greater attention to farm animal welfare over time.

In the short to medium term, this is likely to focus on better understanding the investment risks and opportunities associated with farm animal welfare - both stock-specific risks as well as the wider risks for the sector. Thereafter, it is likely that investors will start to engage with the companies in which they are invested to encourage them to effectively manage the business risks and opportunities presented by farm animal welfare.

BBFAW leads two initiatives to help investors engage with companies on this issue.

The first is the BBFAW Global Investor Collaboration, which involves co-ordinated communications from participating institutions to encourage the low and mid-ranking companies to improve their farm animal welfare policies, practices and reporting, and also commend those companies demonstrating leadership or significant improvement in their performance. In 2016, 20 institutional investors, with a total of £1.34 trillion assets under management, joined the Investor Collaboration.

The BBFAW Global Investor Statement on Farm Animal Welfare builds on this. Signatories to the Statement identify farm animal welfare as being potentially material to long-term investment value creation in the food sector and they commit to taking account of farm animal welfare in their analyses of food companies. As of January 2017, 23 investors, representing £1.83 trillion in assets under management, have signed the Statement.

For more information on these initiatives or to sign up to the Global Investor Statement on Farm Animal Welfare and/or join the BBFAW Global Investor Collaboration, please contact: secretariat@bbfaw.com.